Railroad car replacer



Dec. 3, 1-963 H. M. ALDERMAN RAILROAD CAR REPLACER 2 SheetS-She et 1Filed Oct. 13, 1959 ATTORN E 25 Dec. 3, 1963 Filed Oct. 13, 1959 H. M.ALDERMAN 3,112,711

RAILROAD CAR REPLACER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS United States PatentIowa Filed Oct. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 846,095 3 Claims. (81. 104272) Thisinvention relates to railroad car replacers and more particularly arailroad car replacer comprised of a truck adjuster and a rerailer usedfor replacing derailed railroad cars back on the tracks.

The art of replacing derailed railroad cars back on the tracks has beenaccomplished by the use of a rerailer for each rail. This has thedisadvantage that the bottom of the truck frame of the car or engine tobe rerailed would scrape the top of the rerailer, thereby weakening thetruck frame, breaking other equipment on the undercarriage and movingthe rerailer in the process. This made it necessary to tear up thererailing set up and start over at great expense. With the truck frameof railroad cars becoming lower and lower, this has become a largeproblem in the art of replacing derailed railroad cars on tracks.Furthermore, the use of rerailers has required using heavy equipmentmade of castings to comprise the rerailers. This equipment has become soheavy and bulky that it has been ditficult for train crews to handle.Also due to the various sizes of rails in use on railroads today,ditferent size rerailers have been used.

The car replacer forming part of this invention involves rolling stockequipment which is of such extremely limited vertical clearance and is,relatively to its weight so fragile on the under side thereof, that anydrop during replacement of said equipment may result in extensive andexpensive damage thereto.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a railroad carreplacer which brings the bottom of the wheels of the car or engine tobe replaced on the rails up to the level of the rerailer prior topassing over the rerailer.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a railroad carreplacer which has'a truck adjuster that is light weight and easilyplaced in connection with the rerailer without bolting, spiking orblocking and that will not become detached from the rerailer in theprocess of moving the derailed railroad car onto the truck adjuster.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a 'truckadjusterwhich will prevent the bottom of the truck frame of he derailed car orengine from scraping the top of the rerailer during rerailing, therebyavoiding Weakening and damaging of the truck frame. with this particularobject of the invention the wheel axle units employed relate to thehandling of loads of the nature of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a rerailer havingclamps that will fit various sizes of rails.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a railroad carreplacer which can be put in place without the use of tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supplemental orauxiliary rail device that aids in replacing a derailed railroad carback onto the rails. structurally, therefore, it is a guide rail whichcomprises a ramp or bar pivoted to a rail-engaging device andproviding'an extension therefor that guide the wheels of a railroadtruck.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become morereadily apparent from the following drawings, descriptions and claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of one side of a four wheeled truck beingreplaced over the rerailer and truck adjuster.

In connection 3 ,112,711 Patented Dec. 3., 1963 FIG. 2 is a perspectiveview of the forward protrusion of the truck adjuster showing it detachedfrom the rerailer.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the rerailer and truck adjuster tflen online 3-3 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the car replacing set up showing both rails.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the top clamp used with the rerailer.

'FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom clamp used with thererailer.

The railroad car replacer is comprised of a rerailer 1 and a truckadjuster 2. The truck adjuster 2 has a forward protrusion 3 with a lug 4extending angularly downward therefrom. The rerailer 1 has holes 5 soplaced as to receive the lug 4. Theholes 5 are placed on both rerailingsurfaces 6 of the rerailer 1. The truck adjuster 2 has a sharp incline 7at the end opposite the forward protrusion 3. The rerailing surface 8 ofthe truck adjuster 2 narrows from a wide surface at the end of the sharpincline '7 to a narrow surface at the end of the forward protrusion 3.There are flanges 9 on either side of the rerailing surface 8 of thetruck adjuster 2. The bottom of the truck adjuster 2 has flanges 10which rest on the railroad ties 11. The railroad rails are shown as 12.

There are cleats 13 on the bottom of the truck adjuster 2 at its endwith the sharp incline 7. The rerailer 1 has m outside hole 1 4 and aninside hole 15 which receive top clamp 16 when such a clamp is employed.Bottom clamp 17 is received only in hole '14 in the rerailer 1 when sucha clamp is employed. The rerailer 1 hasrdiagonally inclined flanges 18on both rerailing surfaces 6. Wedges 19 fit through the holes 20 in thetop clamp 16 and 21 in the bottom clamp 17. The top clamp 16 has acurved portion 22 which lies on the top of the rail 12 and a hookedportion 23 which clamps over the top of the rail 12. The bottom clamp.17 has a hooked portion 24 which clamps over the bottom flange of therail 12. The rerailer 1 has an outside to inside slope at its top 25. I

A railroad car truck 26 is replaced on the rail 12 by first placing thererailer 1 infront of the derailed wheels 27 and 28. The top clamp 16 orbottom clamp 17 is used, depending on the size of the rail 12 and thederailed position of the truck wheels. If the top clampl is used it isplaced through the holes 14 and 15 in the rerailer 1 and over the top ofthe rail 12. The wedge 19 .is then placed through the hole 20 in the topclamp 16, which draws the rerailer 1 up flush to the rail 12. Due to thewidth of the hole 20 and wedge 19 all Widths of rails 12 can be clamped.The lugs 29 protrude from the inside of the rerailer 1 and fit under thetop of the rail 12, so that the rerailer 1 can not be kicked off therail 12 as the truck 26' is run over the rerailer 1. The offset 30 onthe inside bottom of the rerailer 1 makes it possible for the rerailer 1to fit over the flange on the bottom of the rail 12. The cleats 13 holdthe end of the truck adjuster 2 that has the sharp incline 7 in place bymaking contact with the ties 11.

As the truck 26 is moved toward the truck adjuster 2, the front wheel 27makes contact with the sharp incline '7 of the truck adjuster 2, therebyputting pressure on the lug 4 forcing it upwards. However, because ofthe angle of the lug 4 relative to the hole 5 in the rerailer 1, thetruck adjuster 2 is held secure by the rerailer 1. The truck 26 is thenbrought up to the position where the front wheel 27 is guided on thererailing surface 8 between the flanges 9 of the truck adjuster 2 ontothe retailing surface 6 of the rerailer 1. As the wheel 27 reaches thererailing surface 6 of the rerailer 1 it is guided onto the rail 12 bythe diagonally inclined flange 18 on the rerailer 1. The wheel .27 isbrought to a level above the rail 12 and due to the slope at the top 25of the rerailer 1 is forced onto the rail 12. The oifset 31 in thererailer 1 receives the tread of the wheels 27 and 28. With respect tothe flange of the wheel which is to be positioned between the rails 12,said flange is guided over the top clamp 16 in the manner disclosed inmy prior Patent 2,593,956, H. M. Alderman, April 22, 1952. When thebottom portion 33 of the truck 26 passes over the rerailer 1 it is keptfrom making contact with the top 25 of the rerailer 1 because the wheel28 is now on the truck adjuster 2 and up to the level of the rail 12 asshown in FIG. 1. The rerailer 1 shown in FIG. 4 for the top track 12 hasa wide offset 34 which receives the flanges of the wheels of the truckon the other side of the railroad car than those shown in FIG. 1 in thatthose flanges are on the inside of the top track 12.

If the track 12 is of such size that the top clamp 16 can not be used,then the bottom clamp 17 is inserted through the hole 14 of the rerailer1 and the hook 24 under the bottom of the rail 12 and around the bottomflange of the rail 12. It is forced in place by a wedge of the sameshape as the wedge 19. After both wheels 27 and 28 of the truck 26 arereplaced on the 12, it is possible to run the wheels over the top clamp16 because the curved portion 22 will raise the wheels so that theflanges 32 will not damage the rest of the clamp 16.

In using either clamp 16 or 17 in the rerailer 1 the size of the holes14 and 15 allows lateral movement of the clamps 16 and 17. This gives awedging action on the rail 12 as the rerailer 1 is moved in the processof replacing a derailed railroad car on the track 12 and preventsslippage of the rerailer 1 and truck adjuster 2. The

clamps 16 and 17 hold to the rails 12 because of a knife edge 34 in eachclamp. The size of the holes 14 and 15' make it possible to usethererailer 1 on rails 12 of any height. 7

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described indetail, it is to be understood that this invention is not to beconsidered as limited thereto and that numerous changes andmodifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, whichshould be deemed to be part of the invention as defined by the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. In combination a car replacer for use with railway rolling stockwhich is of such extremely limited vertical clearance and is, relativeto its weight, so fnagile on the under side thereof that any drop duringreplacement thereof may result'in extensive and expensive damagethereto, a body having a car wheel engaging surface upwardly inclinedfrom the ends toward the center and rising higher than the railroad railagainst which said car replacer is adapted to lie and sloping downwardlyand inwardly from one side toward the side which is adapted to lieadjacent a railroad rail, converging flanges on the wheel engagingsurfaces each flange extending from one end to a point on said centerand disappearing on said downwardly and inwardly sloping surface therebyleaving an unbroken surface in the region of said downwardly andinwardly sloping surface, each of said inclined surfaces being providedwith a lug receiving opening, each of the sides of said body beingprovided with an opening adapted to receive rail clamping means, saidopenings being horizontally aligned, and opposite each other, theopening in the side which is adapted to lie adjacent the railroad railbeing considerably larger than the oppositely disposed opening, bothopenings being larger than an adjustable rail clamping means which isadapted to pass through one or both of said openings whereby said bodyis secured to the railroad rail and providing for lateral movement ofsaid rail clamping means, said car replacer being reversible in itsnature thereby enabling the same to be used to replace a derailed carmoving toward it from either direction with respect to the railroadrails, a car wheel truck adjuster detachably secured to said carreplacer and adapted to rest upon the rail bed supporting said rails,the wheel-axle units of the truck being capable of handling loads of thenature ofhnndreds of thousands of pounds, said adjuster beingsubstantially as high as said rail-road rail and of a lengthsubstantially the overall length of the car truck supporting said oarwheels thereby preventing the bottom portion of the frame forming a partof the truck of the railway equipment to be rerailed from scraping thetop of said rerailer and thereby weakening said truck frame, one end ofsaid adjuster terminating in a sharp downwardly disposed car wheelengaging surface, the other end of said adjuster terminating adjacentone of the upper inclined car wheel engaging surfaces of said replacerand detachahly secured to said replacer by means of a downwardly andangul-arly disposed lug resting in either one.

of said lug receiving openings provided in either one of said upwardlyincline-d surfaces.

2. The car replacer and truck adjuster described in claim 1 in which thetruck adjuster is provided with a car wheel engaging surface whichnarrows in transverse width from the end provided with the sharpdownwardly disposed car wheel engaging surface towards the end providedwith the downwardly and angularly disposed lug, said car wheel engagingsurface being provided with marginal upstanding flanges.

3. The car replacer and truck adjuster described in claim 1 in which thetruck adjuster is provided with a car Wheel engaging surface which issubstantially flat between the two ends and is substantially as highabove the rail bed as is the wheel engaging surface of the rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 45,48576,520 Pullman Apr. 7, 1868 131,384 Baxter Sept. 17, 1874 309,230 Kellyet al. Dec. 16, 1884 473,587 Morris et a1 Apr. 26, 1892 805,175 WelshNov. 21, 1905 847,732 Cook Mar. 19, 1907 1,029,394 Morris et al June 11,1912 1,092,635 Denison Apr. 7, 1914 1,106,864 Desso Aug. 11, 19141,117,081 Parker Nov. 10, 1914 1,150,037 Jones Aug. 17, 1915 1,164,512Harleman Dec. 14, 1915 1,287,747 Rea Dec. 17, 1918 1,294,926 LybergerFeb. 18, 1919 1,364,744 Gallagher Jan. 4, 1921 1,382,105 McGinley June21, 1921 1,391,819 Bellows Sept. 27, 1921 1,445,109 Shun-taker Feb. 13,1923 1,542,737 Skates June 16, 1925 2,183,181 Boone Dec. 12, 19392,593,956 Alderman Apr. 22, 1952 2,697,404 Brunner Dec. 21, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 280,185 Germany Nov. 6, 1914 16,643 Great Britain July 12, 1910Fowler Dec. 20, 1864

1. IN COMBINATION A CAR REPLACER FOR USE WITH RAILWAY ROLLING STOCKWHICH IS OF SUCH EXTREMELY LIMITED VERTICAL CLEARANCE AND IS, RELATIVETO ITS WEIGHT, SO FRAGILE ON THE UNDER SIDE THEREOF THAT ANY DROP DURINGREPLACEMENT THEREOF MAY RESULT IN EXTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE DAMAGETHERETO, A BODY HAVING A CAR WHEEL ENGAGING SURFACE UPWARDLY INCLINEDFROM THE ENDS TOWARD THE CENTER AND RISING HIGHER THAN THE RAILROAD RAILAGAINST WHICH SAID CAR REPLACER IS ADAPTED TO LIE AND SLOPING DOWNWARDLYAND INWARDLY FROM ONE SIDE TOWARD THE SIDE WHICH IS ADAPTED TO LIEADJACENT A RAILROAD RAIL, CONVERGING FLANGES ON THE WHEEL ENGAGINGSURFACES EACH FLANGE EXTENDING FROM ONE END TO A POINT ON SAID CENTERAND DISAPPEARING ON SAID DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY SLOPING SURFACE THEREBYLEAVING AN UNBROKEN SURFACE IN THE REGION OF SAID DOWNWARDLY ANDINWARDLY SLOPING SURFACE, EACH OF SAID INCLINED SURFACES BEING PROVIDEDWITH A LUG RECEIVING OPENING, EACH OF THE SIDES OF SAID BODY BEINGPROVIDED WITH AN OPENING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE RAIL CLAMPING MEANS, SAIDOPENINGS BEING HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED, AND OPPOSITE EACH OTHER, THEOPENING IN THE SIDE WHICH IS ADAPTED TO LIE ADJACENT THE RAILROAD RAILBEING CONSIDERABLY LARGER THAN THE OPPOSITELY DISPOSED OPENING, BOTHOPENINGS BEING LARGER THAN AN ADJUSTABLE RAIL CLAMPING MEANS WHICH ISADAPTED TO PASS THROUGH ONE OR BOTH OF SAID OPENINGS WHEREBY SAID BODYIS SECURED TO THE RAILROAD RAIL AND PROVIDING FOR LATERAL MOVEMENT OFSAID RAIL CLAMPING MEANS, SAID CAR REPLACER BEING REVERSIBLE IN ITSNATURE THEREBY ENABLING THE SAME TO BE USED TO REPLACE A